Henry J. Tasca: Difference between revisions

| birth_place = [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]], [[Rhode Island]]

| death_place = [[Lausanne]], [[Switzerland]]

| nationality = [[Americans|American]]

'''Henry Joseph Tasca''' (August 23, 1912 – August 22, 1979)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/index.html|title=Arlington National Cemetery Explorer|website=army.mil|access-date=February 17, 2017|archive-date=January 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112213413/http://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="State1">{{cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/tasca-henry-joseph|title=Henry Joseph Tasca -– People -– Department History -– Office of the Historian|website=history.state.gov}}</ref> was an [[United States of America|American]] [[diplomat]] during the 1960s and 1970s, as well as an [[author]].

Tasca was born in [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]], [[Rhode Island]]. He would get an undergraduate degree from [[Temple University]] and later receive both [[Master's degree|master's]] and [[Doctorate|doctoral]] degrees from the [[University of Pennsylvania]], although he did spend some time studying at the [[London School of Economics]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=H. J. Tasca Dies in Crash, Former Envoy to Greece|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1979/08/25/h-j-tasca-dies-in-crash-former-envoy-to-greece/29cf94bb-c5ba-413a-a517-5180e628a073/|access-date=2021-05-03|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

He would also serve as an officer during [[World War II]], achieving the rank of [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=BITSIKA|first=PANAGIOTA|date=November 24, 2008|title=The American ambassadors to Athens|language=Greek|work=To Vima|url=https://www.tovima.gr/2008/11/24/culture/oi-amerikanoi-presbeytes-stin-athina/|access-date=May 3, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Arlington National Cemetery Explorer|url=https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgVUYXNjYRIFSGVucnk-/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-04|website=ancexplorer.army.mil|publisher=Arlington National Cemetery}}</ref>

Tasca began his career at the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] in 1937 as an economic analyst. He went on to serve as the [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury Department's]] representative to the U.S. embassy in [[Rome]] from 1945 to 1948, and later took on a roll as adviser to Ambassador [[W. Averell Harriman]]. He would then be assigned to [[South Korea]] in 1953, before ultimately returning to [[Europe]].<ref name=":0" />

Tasca served as the [[United States Ambassador to Morocco]] from 1965 to 1969 and to [[United States Ambassador to Greece|Greece]] from 1969 to 1974.<ref name="State1" /> During his time as ambassador to the [[Greek junta|Greek Junta]], he would find difficulty contacting [[Dimitrios Ioannidis]], known then as 'The Invisible Dictator' of the country.<ref>{{Cite web|last=PAPACHELAS|first=ALEXIS|date=February 3, 2002|title=What did the CIA say about Ioannidis?|url=https://www.tovima.gr/2008/11/24/archive/ti-elege-i-cia-gia-ton-iwannidi/|url-status=live|website=to Vima}}</ref> At first Tasca was uncertain if the Greek government held true authority, but after meeting Ionnidis, Tasca reported back to the U.S. and shared with the [[United Kingdom|British]] counterparts that he found the Greek leader [[hawkish]] and recommended using access to [[military aid]] as a means to manage the state.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Salmon |first1=Patrick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SB6OrCp0qZ4C&dq=H.+J.+Tasca&pg=PA110 |title=Documents on British Policy Overseas |last2=Hamilton |first2=Keith |date=2006 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-7146-5114-9 |language=en}}</ref>

Tasca's reappointment as ambassador to Greece by Nixon was secured by the March 1973 pledging of hush money for Watergate defendants by Tasca friend Thomas Pappas, an American oil executive.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Weiner |first=Tim |title=One Man Against the World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon |publisher=Henry Holt and Company |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-62779-083-3 |location=New York |pages=235–236}}</ref> In 1976 Tasca would be called before the [[House intelligence committee|House Intelligence Committee]] to provide off the record testimony during which he confirmed that the Greek Junta had made campaign contributions to the [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]]-[[Spiro Agnew|Agnew]] election fund.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hitchens|first=Christopher|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nk5tAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Henry+Tasca%22|title=Cyprus|date=1984|publisher=Quartet Books|isbn=978-0-7043-2436-7|language=en}}</ref>

Tasca died in an [[automobile accident]] near [[Lausanne]], [[Switzerland]] in August 1979, another vehicle having collided into him at an intersection, while driving with his, then 15 -year -old, son John.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1979-08-August 25, 1979|title=HENRY J. TASCA DIES, EX‐U, S. AMBASSADOR|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/25/archives/henry-j-tasca-dies-exus-ambassador-66yearold-diplomat-is-killed-in.html|access-date=2021-05-03|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He was survived by his wife and five children, although one daughter had died before him.<ref name=":0" /> Tasca was buried in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<ref name=":2" />

* ''The Reciprocal Trade Policy of the United States : A Study in Trade Philosophy'' (Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania, 1938)<ref>{{cite book|title=The reciprocal trade policy of the United States; a study in trade philosophy|first=Henry J|last=Tasca|date=15 July 15, 2018|oclc = 2013879}}</ref>

* ''World Trading Systems : A Study of American and British Commercial Policies'' (Paris : League of Nations, 1939)<ref>{{cite book|title=World trading systems; a study of American and British commercial policies|first1=Henry J|last1=Tasca|last2=International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation|last3=League of Nations|last4=International Studies Conference|date=15 July 15, 2018|oclc = 639923311}}</ref>